Hours before the release of the 2024 exit poll results, election strategist Prashant Kishor reaffirmed his prediction regarding the performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA in the Lok Sabha elections. Several national and regional news channels, along with poll survey agencies, are scheduled to release their exit poll results around 6:30 pm, shortly after the conclusion of the phase 7 voting for the general election on Saturday, June 1.
“According to my assessment, the BJP is going to come back with the same or slightly better numbers. In western and northern India, I don’t see a significant shift in the number of seats. The party has gained adequate support from regions in the east and south of India,” Prashant Kishor said in an interview with The Print.
Prashant Kishor also suggested a potential increase in the BJP’s seat tally and vote share in the eastern and southern states. He noted the party’s intensified efforts to strengthen its presence in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, anticipating gains due to the electorate’s relative unfamiliarity with the BJP in these areas.
The political strategist previously asserted that there was neither significant dissatisfaction with the current BJP government at the Centre nor a strong demand for an alternative in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In an interview with NDTV, the Jan Suraaj Party chief also mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to lead the BJP to another victory in the Lok Sabha polls, predicting that the saffron party’s seat count could be close to or even surpass its 2019 tally of 303.
“I think Modi-led BJP is returning. They may get the same numbers as last election or do slightly better,” NDTV had quoted Prashant Kishor as saying.
“We should look at the fundamentals. If there is anger against the incumbent government and its leader, there is a possibility that regardless of whether there is an alternative, people may decide to vote them out. So far, we have not heard that there is widespread public anger against Modiji. There may be disappointment, unfulfilled aspirations, but we have not heard of widespread anger,” Prashant Kishor added.
Saturday’s voting will conclude the extensive polling process that commenced on April 19. The assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim also participated in the polls. Vote counting is scheduled for June 4, with the assembly poll results for Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim being counted on June 2.
As per the Election Commission’s guidelines, television channels and news outlets can start broadcasting exit poll data and results after 6:30 pm.
The poll panel has urged voters to turn out in greater numbers, voting responsibly and with pride. The voter turnout in the first six phases of the general election was 66.14 per cent, 66.71 per cent, 65.68 per cent, 69.16 per cent, 62.2 per cent, and 63.36 per cent, respectively.
The campaigning for the final phase, which concluded on the evening of May 30, featured ruling BJP leaders, led by Modi, accusing the Congress and the INDIA opposition bloc of corruption, anti-Hindu sentiments, and engaging in looting, appeasement, and dynastic politics.
Meanwhile, the opposition parties have asserted that the BJP is anti-farmer, anti-youth, and will alter or scrap the Constitution if it wins the election.